Ravenna was henceforth the capital of the Western Roman Empire until its dissolution in 476. The Basilica of Sant’Apollinare Nuovo was also erected by Theuderic. Ravenna enjoyed a period of peace, during which time the Christian religion was favoured by the imperial court, and the city gained some of its most famous monuments, including the Orthodox Baptistery, the misnamed Mausoleum of Galla Placidia (she was not actually buried there), and San Giovanni Evangelista. As the capital of the Exarchate of Ravenna, the city was the administrative centre of Byzantine government in Italy. Ravenna then gradually came under the direct authority of the Popes, although this was contested by the archbishops at various times. Emperor Trajan built a 70 km (43.50 mi) long aqueduct at the beginning of the 2nd century. It had developed into a major port on the Adriatic . Of the monuments dating from the rule of the Arian Ostrogothic king Theuderic (d. 526), the most impressive is his mausoleum. ", This page was last edited on 7 January 2021, at 06:44. Theuderic made Ravenna the capital of the Ostrogothic kingdom, but in 540 Ravenna was occupied by the great Byzantine general Belisarius and was subsequently made an imperial exarchate. The fame of Ravenna rests instead on the quality and quantity of its 5th–8th-century Christian monuments. The Church of Santa Maria in Porto Fuori, built after 1069, was, until its destruction in World War II, the only important surviving building of the later European Middle Ages in Ravenna. Ribelle 1927 is the Italian football of Castiglione di Ravenna, a fraction of Ravenna and was founded in 1927. Under Byzantine rule, the archbishop of the Archdiocese of Ravenna was temporarily granted autocephaly from the Roman Church by the emperor, in 666, but this was soon revoked. At that time, the construction of imperial churches and palaces started. The Church of St. Francis (San Francesco) has a small annex containing the tomb of the Italian poet Dante Alighieri. Ravenna was briefly the capital of the Western Roman Empire, then the Capital of Theodoric's Gothic state and then the capital of the Byzantine possessions in northern Italy. In 49 BC, it was where Julius Caesar gathered his forces before crossing the Rubicon. In 1198 Ravenna led a league of Romagna cities against the Emperor, and the Pope was able to subdue it. (2008 est.) It came under Roman control in 191 bc and soon became important because it possessed one of the few good port sites on the northeastern coast of Italy. Ravenna was ruled by Venice until 1509, when the area was invaded in the course of the Italian Wars. "The Magnavacca (canal) at Ravenna in great trouble, Canals by fifteen shut up at Fornase", in reference to fifteen French saboteurs. [citation needed][6]. Freeways crossing Ravenna include: A14-bis from the hub of Bologna; on the north–south axis of EU routes E45 (from Rome) and E55 (SS-309 "Romea" from Venice); and on the regional Ferrara-Rimini axis of SS-16 (partially called "Adriatica"). The northern Italian city of Ravenna, situated on the Adriatic coast, south of Venice, is famous for both its late Roman architecture and its masterpieces of mosaic art, derived from its time as the capital of the Western Roman Empire (c.402-76), and later as an imperial Exarchate of the Byzantine Empire … After a short period under an Imperial vicar, Ravenna was returned to the Papal States in 1248 and again to the Traversari until, in 1275, the Da Polenta established their long-lasting seigniory. Ravenna Airport is located in Ravenna. Although Jordanes writes of Odoacer as invading Italy "as leader of the Sciri, the Heruli and allies of various races", modern writers describe him as being part of the Roman military establishment, based on John of Antioch's statement that Odoacer was on the side of Ricimer at the beginning of his battle with the emperor Anthemiusin 472. During the fourth century c.e., the Roman Empire came constantly under the assault of barbarian tribes. They depict Old and New Testament figures, as well as contemporary Byzantine rulers and Catholic ecclesiastics. Ravenna was also known during the Renaissance as the birthplace of the Monster of Ravenna. Judith Herrin’s recent book contains a sweeping and engrossing history of Ravenna from the moment Honorius took up residence there, through the thriving period of Gothic rule (493-540), and culminating in the two centuries (540-751) when the city was a western outpost of the eastern Roman empire. By 27 BC, Emperor Caesar Augustus had established a permanent port in Ravenna as a base for the fleet. In 1441 Venice was able to establish direct rule over Ravenna, but in 1509 the city was returned to the Papal States. It was the capital city of the Western Roman Empire from 402 until the empire collapsed in 476. After the war of 1218 the Traversari family was able to impose its rule in the city, which lasted until 1240. In his capacity as a soldier suddenly pitted against Anthemius, since he had switched sides to join with … Ravenna is a place with a truly prestigious past, even though you may never have heard of the city before. Ravenna, Mausoleum of Galla Placidia Perhaps an Etruscan port on the Adriatic Sea Occupied by the Celtic tribe of the Senones; according to Zosimus , quoting a history of the reign of Marcus Aurelius , the name is derived from Rhene , which is indeed a Celtic word for water. Surviving monuments include the Basilica of San Vitale and the Basilica of Sant'Apollinare in Classe, as well as the partially surviving San Michele in Africisco. It was later the capital of the Kingdom of the Ostrogoths and the Exarchate of Ravenna until 751. Later Octavian, after his battle against Mark Antony in 31 BC, founded the military harbor of Classis. Following the conquests of Belisarius for Eastern Roman Emperor Justinian I in the 6th century, Ravenna became the seat of the Byzantine governor of Italy, the Exarch, and was known as the Exarchate of Ravenna. Ravenna is a small Italian city with glorious golden mosaics, and the full colour pictures really help this book. Over the next 300 years, a network of canals diverted nearby rivers and drained nearby swamps, thus reducing the possibility of flooding and creating a large belt of agricultural land around the city. Theodoric took Ravenna in 493, supposedly slew Odoacer with his own hands, and Ravenna became the capital of the Ostrogothic Kingdom of Italy. Shortly after, the Migration Period, involving large invasions by Germanic peoples and by the Huns of Attila, led to the decline of the Western Roman Empire. The Church of San Vitale, the masterpiece of Byzantine art in Ravenna, was completed during the reign of the emperor Justinian. Afterwards its territory was settled also by the Senones, especially the southern countryside of the city (that wasn't part of the lagoon), the Ager Decimanus. Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. The Roman empire had collapsed in 476 but, wonderfully, a part of it survived and flourished — the eastern half, with its great capital at Constantinople and the Italic outpost of Ravenna as its gateway into northern Adriatic coastlands and beyond into present-day Sicily. Both Odoacer and Theodoric and their followers were Arian Christians, but co-existed peacefully with the Latins, who were largely Catholic Orthodox. Shortly after his appointment, Orestes launched a rebellion and captured Ravenna, the capital of the Western Roman Empire since 402, on 28 August 475. Nothing remains of the ancient Roman structures in Ravenna or of its harbour at Classis. The Unesco recognizes them as a World Heritage Sites for the decoration of the … The city was also raised to the status of an archbishopric in 438. The city was damaged in a tremendous flood in May 1636. Ravenna consisted of houses built on piles on a series of small islands in a marshy lagoon – a situation similar to Venice several centuries later. Ravenna was the capital city of the Western Roman Empire from 402 until 476. Theodoric allowed Roman citizens within his kingdom to be subject to Roman law and the Roman judicial system. [12] The town suffered very little damage. In ancient times the Adriatic lay nearer Ravenna, which rested on coastal lagoons that later silted up. A total of 937 Commonwealth soldiers who died in the winter of 1944-45 are buried in Ravenna War Cemetery, including 438 Canadians. It was originally an Arian cathedral but became a Catholic church in 570. Steadily Ravenna, which was surrounded by swamps and marshes, prospered and rose in importance, and a Roman fleet was based at the city. The origins of Ravenna are uncertain. This two-storied structure is capped by a single-slab limestone dome that is 36 feet (11 metres) in diameter. During that period of wealth and prestige, several c… It then served as the capital of the Ostrogothic Kingdom until it was re-conquered in 540 by the Byzantine Empire. Nowadays the city is landlocked, but Ravenna remained an important seaport on the Adriatic until the early Middle Ages. Updates? mun., 153,388. Corrections? Ravenna is now an agricultural and industrial city. At the end of the fourth century, as the power of Rome faded and Constantinople became the seat of empire, a new capital city was rising in the West. [7] The first settlement is variously attributed to (and then has seen the copresence of) the Thessalians, the Etruscans and the Umbrians. Apart from another short occupation by Venice (1527–1529), Ravenna was part of the Papal States until 1796, when it was annexed to the French puppet state of the Cisalpine Republic, (Italian Republic from 1802, and Kingdom of Italy from 1805). During the Germanic campaigns, Thusnelda, widow of Arminius, and Marbod, King of the Marcomanni, were confined at Ravenna. Ravenna History . Ravenna’s National Museum of Antiquities, housed in the cloisters of the Church of San Vitale, has an important collection of classical and Early Christian antiquities, including inscriptions, icons, ceramics, ivories and other sculptures, and sarcophagi. But a new book hopes to … Pop. The Romans ignored it during their conquest of the Po River Delta, but later accepted it into the Roman Republic as a federated town in 89 BC. Ravenna, a jewel in the midst of a marsh, was a place of paradox. Omissions? It was in fact a capital – not once, not twice, but actually three times! Some have speculated that "Ravenna" is related to "Rasenna" (or "Rasna"), the term that the Etruscans used for themselves, but there is no agreement on this point. Eight early Christian monuments of Ravenna are inscribed on the World Heritage List. Its building technique is Western, but its Latin cross layout, with barrel vaults and a central dome, has Eastern prototypes. Now, although the empire may have fallen in the west, consider that it continued to exist in the east, since Constantine’s move and creation of the city Constantinople, which became the new capitol of the entirety of the Roman empire. Ravenna's Orthodox bishops carried out notable building projects, of which the sole surviving one is the Capella Arcivescovile. One of the earliest of Ravenna’s extant monuments is the mausoleum of Galla Placidia, built in the 5th century ad by Galla Placidia, the sister of the emperor Honorius. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. Honorius did so because it was easily defended from its location on the lagoon. The Battle of Ravenna, capital of the Western Roman Empire, between the Heruli under their King Odoacer and the remnants of the Western Roman Army in Roman Italy occurred in early September 476. Ravenna was a Roman city that rose to prominence is the fifth to the eighth centuries, when it was the western capital of the Roman Empire and of the Byzantine Empire in Europe. note [Zosimus, New History 5.27.1-2 .] Chicago Symphony Orchestra music director Riccardo Muti, a longtime resident of the city, regularly participates in the festival, which invites orchestras and other performers from around the world. Only those of the highest ranks in Roman society could be drawn from to provide the leaders required for this fleet and most would have come from the … It is known for its well-preserved late Roman and Byzantine architecture, with eight buildings comprising the UNESCO World Heritage Site "Early Christian Monuments of Ravenna". One of the most illustrious residents of Ravenna at this time was the exiled poet Dante. At the end of the fourth century, as the power of Rome faded and Constantinople became the seat of empire, a new capital city was rising in the West. For this reason, Marcus Aurelius decided not only against bringing more barbarians into Italy, but even banished those who had previously been brought there. With the fall of the Western Empire in 476, it became the capital of the first barbarian ruler of Italy, Odoacer (reigned 476–493), who in turn surrendered it to the Ostrogothic king Theuderic (reigned 493–526) in 493. Odoacer ruled as King of Italy for 13 years, but in 489 the Eastern Emperor Zeno sent the Ostrogoth King Theodoric the Great to re-take the Italian peninsula. Its home ground is Stadio Massimo Sbrighi of the fraction with 1,000 seats. It was, to allude to a collection of Ms. Herrin’s previous studies, simultaneously both metropolis and margin. The church was begun by Bishop Ecclesius under the Ostrogothic queen Amalasuntha (d. 535) and was consecrated in 547. Judith Herrin's book [Ravenna] explains by recounting the city's life from 402, when it became the capital of the Roman Empire in the West, to 751, when the Lombards took over. The city is inland, but is connected to the Adriatic Sea by a canal. Ravenna [ra'ven:a] is a city and comune in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. It was the capital city of the Western Roman Empire from 402 until that empire collapsed in 476. Theodoric died in 526 and was succeeded by his young grandson Athalaric under the authority of his daughter Amalasunta, but by 535 both were dead and Theodoric's line was represented only by Amalasuntha's daughter Matasuntha. Afterwards, the city formed the centre of the Byzantine Exarchate of Ravenna until the invasion of the Lombards in 751. Adjoining the cathedral is an octagonal baptistery containing fine Byzantine mosaics from the 5th century. In 1512, following the Battle of Ravenna, the city was seized by the French but was soon recaptured. Nepos fled to Dalmatia, where his uncle had ruled a semi-autonomous state in the 460s. Ravenna was briefly the capital of the Western Roman Empire, then the Capital of Theodoric's Gothic state and then the capital of the Byzantine possessions in … Here, in Ravenna on the coast of Italy, Arian Goths and Catholic Romans competed to produce an unrivaled concentration of buildings and astonishing mosaics. At that time it was home to 50,000 people. Ravenna was important in history as the capital of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century ad and later (6th–8th century) of Ostrogothic and Byzantine Italy. An interesting book written about the history of Ravenna during it's centuries of political importance from the fifth to the ninth centuries AD. Currently it plays in the third league of Italian football, commonly known as "Serie C". The emperor whom Odoacer deposed had lived in Ravenna, Italy. The oldest church in Ravenna, the cathedral, was originally built in 370–390 but was destroyed in 1733 and immediately rebuilt. Michelangelo Antonioni filmed his 1964 movie Red Desert (Deserto Rosso) within the industrialised areas of the Pialassa valley within the city limits. Roman power steadily declined over the centuries until Alaric stormed the gates in 410 C.E., but Ravenna remembered the lessons of its rule, eventually establishing colonies of its own in many parts of the former empire, especially in Sicily. About 751 Ravenna itself fell to the Lombards, who in turn lost it to the Franks in 754 under the leadership of Pippin III the Short. The entire upper surface of the mausoleum’s interior is covered with mosaics on a blue ground. [5], The origin of the name Ravenna is unclear. The city is on a low-lying plain near the confluence of the Ronco and Montone rivers, 6 miles (10 km) inland from the Adriatic Sea, with which it is connected by a canal. But with the fall of Rome essentially, Constantinople was the only surviving remnant of that Roman empire. It then served as the capital of the Ostrogothic Kingdom until it was re-conquered in 540 by the Byzantine Empire. The first time it became capital of the Western Roman Empire in the 5thcentury AD, then under the reign of Theodoric, king of the Goths, and lastly of the Byzantine Empire in Europe, up until the 8th century AD. Afterwards, the city formed the centre of the Byzantine Exarchate of Ravenna until the invasion of the Lombards in 751. [9] In AD 402, Emperor Honorius transferred the capital of the Western Roman Empire from Milan to Ravenna. In 1859 Ravenna proclaimed its union with the kingdom of Sardinia, which became the kingdom of Italy in 1861. As such, Ravenna was embellished with magnificent monuments. Overview. From 540 to 600, Ravenna's bishops embarked upon a notable building program of churches in Ravenna and in and around the port city of Classe. The church also has finely executed mosaics depicting processions of male and female saints. The last of the Da Polenta, Ostasio III, was ousted by the Republic of Venice in February 1441, and the city was annexed to the Venetian territories in the Treaty of Cremona. After the conquest of Italy was completed in 554, Ravenna became the seat of Byzantine government in Italy. A riveting history of the city that led the West out of the ruins of the Roman Empire. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... Mausoleum of Theuderic, c. 520, at Ravenna, Italy. From then until 751 AD, Ravenna was first the capital of the Western Roman Empire, then that of the immense kingdom of Theoderic the Goth and finally the centre of Byzantine power in Italy. The Roman emperor Augustus built the port of Classis, about 3 miles (5 km) from the city, and by the 1st century bc Ravenna had become the base for Rome’s naval fleet in the Adriatic Sea. The city annually hosts the Ravenna Festival, one of Italy's prominent classical music gatherings. Odoacer became the first barbarian king of the western empire. Here, in Ravenna on the coast of Italy, Arian Goths and Catholic Romans competed to produce an unrivaled concentration of buildings and astonishing mosaics. Ravenna is the capital city of the Province of Ravenna, in the Emilia-Romagna region of Northern Italy. King Pepin of the Franks attacked the Lombards under orders of Pope Stephen II. This article is about the city in Italy. For other uses, see, Dante's tomb exterior and interior, built in 1780, Generally speaking, adjectival "Ravenna" and "Ravennate" are more common for most adjectival uses—the, Deborah M. Deliyannis, Ravenna in Late Antiquity (Cambridge University Press, 2010), for this and much of the information that follows, Learn how and when to remove this template message, the last person to hold the title of emperor in the West, List of twin towns and sister cities in Italy, "Superficie di Comuni Province e Regioni italiane al 9 ottobre 2011", "Popolazione Residente al 1° Gennaio 2018", Tourism in Ravenna – Official site – History, https://www.academia.edu/1166147/_The_Fall_and_Decline_of_the_Roman_Urban_Mind_, https://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/history/second-world-war/canada-Italy-1943-to-1945, "Sito Ufficiale – Ufficio Turismo del Comune di Ravenna – I grandi scrittori", https://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/oct/23/jrr-tolkien-middle-earth-annotated-map-blackwells-lord-of-the-rings?CMP=fb_gu, Ravenna's early history and its monuments - Catholic Encyclopedia, City of Vicenza and the Palladian Villas of the Veneto, Arab-Norman Palermo and the Cathedral Churches of Cefalù and Monreale, Longobards in Italy, Places of Power (568–774 A.D.), Prehistoric pile dwellings around the Alps, Venetian Works of Defence between 15th and 17th centuries, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ravenna&oldid=998832259, Municipalities of the Province of Ravenna, Mediterranean port cities and towns in Italy, Articles needing additional references from September 2014, All articles needing additional references, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles containing Romagnol-language text, Articles containing Italian-language text, Pages using collapsible list with both background and text-align in titlestyle, Pages using infobox settlement with possible demonym list, Pages using infobox settlement with image map1 but not image map, Articles with unsourced statements from April 2010, Articles with Italian-language sources (it), Wikipedia articles with MusicBrainz area identifiers, Wikipedia articles with SUDOC identifiers, Wikipedia articles with WORLDCATID identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Mausoleum of Theuderic, c. 520, at Ravenna, Italy. The Basilica of Sant’Apollinare in Classe, begun in 535 and consecrated in 549, has a distinctive round campanile (870–878) that is the earliest example in Italy of the decorative use of majolica. ... (From the Ashes of the Roman Empire): The following resources relate to the end of the Roman Empire and the Fall of Rome. The Roman Empire had been in relative decline since the beginning of the barbarian invasions and Rome , the symbolical heart and largest city of the Western Empire, was sacked in 410 by the Visigoths and … This church contains magnificent mosaics depicting the teachings, miracles, Passion, and Resurrection of Christ; these are among the oldest such representations in existence and are of considerable scholarly interest. After losing the Battle of Verona, Odoacer retreated to Ravenna, where he withstood a siege of three years by Theodoric, until the taking of Rimini deprived Ravenna of supplies. The team's colors are white and blue. A short-lived bid for independence on Ravenna’s part in the mid-12th century was followed in the 14th and early 15th centuries by the rule of the da Polenta family, a noble house of the Romagna region. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. According to tradition, it was occupied by the Etruscans and later by the Gauls. A.P.D. [11] However, in 751 the Lombard king, Aistulf, succeeded in conquering Ravenna, thus ending Byzantine rule in northern Italy. Ravenna has an important commercial and tourist port. Occupied by Piedmontese troops in 1859, Ravenna and the surrounding Romagna area became part of the new unified Kingdom of Italy in 1861. She was a half-sister of Honorius, he who made Ravenna the capital of the Roman Empire when he moved from Milan in 402. These are. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. The Fall of Rome/Fall of the Roman Empire marked a pivotal point in human history and ended Roman power in the west 1,000 years after the city’s foundation. Ravenna was also selected because its harbor was convenient for communication and trade with Constantinople. Ring in the new year with a Britannica Membership, This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/place/Ravenna-Italy, CRW Flags - Flag of Ravenna (Emilia-Romagna, Italy), Ravenna - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). The late 5th century saw the dissolution of Roman authority in the west, and the last person to hold the title of emperor in the West was deposed in 476 by the general Odoacer. The exarchate was broken up by revolts and invasions after 726. Various Ostrogothic military leaders took the Kingdom of Italy, but none were as successful as Theodoric had been. This church also has impressive capitals in its nave and a fine apse mosaic depicting the Transfiguration of Christ. Currently it plays in Italy's Serie D after promotion from Eccellenza Emilia-Romagna Girone B in the 2013–14 season. The Goths, meanwhile, lived under their own laws and customs. In ad 402 the danger of barbarian invasions compelled the Western Roman emperor Honorius to move his court from Rome to Ravenna. Ravenna became the capital of the Western Roman Empire in 402 when the Emperor Honorius moved the imperial capital to escape Alaric and his Visigoths. Ravenna greatly prospered under Roman rule. Pope Adrian I authorized Charlemagne to take away anything from Ravenna that he liked, and an unknown quantity of Roman columns, mosaics, statues, and other portable items were taken north to enrich his capital of Aachen. In the early 7th century the area administered included a diagonal strip of territory extending from the area north of Ravenna to south of Rome, the southern extremities of the peninsula, and various coastal enclaves. The Roman emperor Justinian I and his empress-wife Theodora sought to restore the Roman empire to its old glory and maintain Ravenna as the ‘fulcrum of energies’ that connected Goths, Ostrogoths, Franks and Romans to the Byzantine peoples, and the Roman popes in Rome to the Roman emperors in Constantinople. During the reign of Theodosius II, Ravenna and Christianity flourished. Theodoric, following his imperial predecessors, also built many splendid buildings in and around Ravenna, including his palace church Sant'Apollinare Nuovo, an Arian cathedral (now Santo Spirito) and Baptistery, and his own Mausoleum just outside the walls. The Lombards, under King Liutprand, occupied Ravenna in 712, but were forced to return it to the Byzantines. Ravenna, city, Emilia-Romagna regione, northeastern Italy. Once a lagoon city, the canals were covered over in the 15th century when Ravenna was ruled by Venice. 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